Possible to paint keycaps?

[Jixr]

Hi everyone! I'm sure this has been asked, answered, discussed over and over, but here is the deal.

I <3 my quickfire rapid, and got white blank keycaps for all the keys, I thought I was going to be okay with blank keycaps ( when typing I normally am ) but in games, ( esp starcraft ) I find myself key hunting all the time because i'm not familiar with the key layout and such.

The quickfire rapid has ( imo ) ugly stock keycaps, and the lettering is raised and is just quite aweful, I was thinking of taking some 2000+ grit sand paper and sanding the keys flat, and then painting the keys using model car spray paint ( which i find to be durable and comes out nice on small plastic objects, though the paint isnt cheap )

I just need a few keys painted, and thought I might ask here before creating a custom keycap set, as if I order I might as well just order a full set.

Thnx

[Jixr]

everything i've found so far has been people just crudely blasting their keys with one thick layer of paint, not any means the right way to paint anything. not much info on people who actually take their time with painting.

I'll probably end up ordering another set of keycaps, but i might as well make something out of the ugly stock caps.

[BlueBär]

You do realize that if you use sand paper on the caps the lettering goes away, right? Or do you just want color?

I am not sure right now what type of lettering the QFR uses, if it is lasered (but you said it's raised so I guess pad printing) you should be able to dye them, there's quite a few topics on that, maybe also search the "making stuff together!" subforum. The main problems with spray painting etc. are that the coloring will fade and wear off and the lettering disappears. Dyeing doesn't wear off that much if at all I think, but don't quote me on that.

Another option that for example BunnyLake uses for his Bunnycaps is nail polish which seems to work quite well.

[Jixr]

yeah already have a blank key set on it, so blank keys are fine, I just want 5 or so keys a different color to make it easier to find those specific keys since i'm not used to the layout of some games

The stock caps are black, so I assume you cant dye them,

My plan was to get the keys i need, sand down the lettering, and get some good paint ( feeling like a light green or blue ) and mist the key, wait 5 mins, mist, wait 5mins, repeat.

I say mist, instead of spray,  because most people just soak whatever they are using in paint, don't allow it proper cure time then you get orange peel, running paint, etc. then after its coated cured for a day, then wet sand, and repeat.

I'll probably just end up ordering another full set eventually, but I favor DIY approach vs ordering things online. since its the weekend, I can paint the caps and have them done before caps ordered online come in the mail.

and if color fades or anything like that, just repaint them again.

[pixel5]

You can dye white PBT caps using Rit or Vinyl dye.

[Jixr]

Black keycaps

[terran5992]

I wouldnt reccomend doing it, The paint will start to get sticky after some usage.

[tjcaustin]

NIQMODS does a good job with car paint, but I'm fairly certain they bake their's or use a clear as well to keep them durable.

Other than that, if you just need a few caps in a different color, why not look for partial sets that are available?

[fohat.digs]

I feel sure that you will be disappointed, long-term.

Buy a good set of caps, and keep them when you upgrade boards later.

[Jixr]

Well i did end up painting a few keys, and with all the prep work they actually turned out better than expected, and for now, they will work.
I will replace them soon, I'm in the process of saving up some cash to order a custom Autcad layout for work, as well as a custom gaming layout for home ( wasd custom printed keycaps )  but that will have to wait till next paycheck. ( gonna get a QFR in reds for work, do some switch modding, and get the keycaps for it.

here is the result of some time, stock keys, and some model car paint.

[BlueBär]

Pretty good result, will be interesting to see how long it will last! If you need a starting point for switch modding, check out my beginner guide.

[Jixr]

yeah, its alright, for a few keys i would recomend it, but for a whole set, i wouldn't. too much sanding and polishing you would have to do to get a decent even result across all the keys.

I want to put reds on my WASD keys on my blue board, i think that would be pretty cool.

[Toasty_Ohs]

I went with the cheap fast route on my work keyboard.  Medium quality spray paint.

It does not look great, and you can see where the keys I use all the time have suffered.  This is with constant use after about 6 months.

I does serve the purpose of helping my typing improve.



The blue thing is a fingerprint reader.  Biometrics FTW!

[Jixr]

Yeah, thats why i built up several layers of painting and sanding over and over to hopefully get a longer life out of them. ( even though i'll only be using them for a month tops before my next set of keycaps comes in.

[LONGZILLA]

Are you guys using any sort of clear/finish coat?

[Jixr]

In mine no, I intentionally wetsanded the finaly coat to remove the glossy finish as I didn't want a glossy coat.

Though I could see why you would want to use a clear coat, espc. if you are wanting to use the keys long term.

[Jixr]

since the cost of colored keycaps is so high, I'm thinking of just buying more paint colors and painting more of my stock QFR caps ( since 5 are already painted anyway ) one can of model paint is about the price of a single keycap, so meh, why not?

May even try to find some paint pens to draw custom pictures on them.

[ekw808]

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=46598.0

Works of art

[johndavis33]

I was thinking of doing this with my QFR keycaps to, the font is just horrid.

What type of paint do you think will give the best feel to the key caps? I understand that people prefer PBT ones usually for the lower coefficent of friction. Does anyone know if there is a type of paint that can replicate that?

[divito]

I just painted some of my keycaps, more of an experiment than anything. I plan to eventually replace them with white PBT, but here is a picture:



Given my lack of patience and setup for quality assurance, they still came out better than I expected. Given actual care, and doing a setup involving the storage plungers from SP, some really good results could be had.

I also painted the bottom frame, which is why it's currently out of it at the moment.

[tp4tissue]

You can't really paint them for Cheaper than buying a new set..

Unless you have an impossible color decision in mind..

BUY IT...

[Binge]

I'll just leave this here...

[tricheboars]

good lord binge. that is unique. your caps are awesome by the way.

as to painting caps. i have tried it. they were great for like 2 weeks. i would never do it again. if you are going to do it go thr rit route or dont do it at all. paint just doesnt work on caps like it does with cases.  i used really good paint for plastics too. sanded the **** out of them etc.

[Binge]

good lord binge. that is unique. your caps are awesome by the way.

as to painting caps. i have tried it. they were great for like 2 weeks. i would never do it again. if you are going to do it go thr rit route or dont do it at all. paint just doesnt work on caps like it does with cases.  i used really good paint for plastics too. sanded the **** out of them etc.

did you use cellulose paint?

[demik]

anything is possible with the right mind set

[do_Og@n]

I'll be painting a full set today. I've already sanded the entire set with 600 grit & then 1500 grit. I'll also be misting them as suggested by Jixr.

I'm going to be spraying a Lacquer on them after they've had time to cure. Downside is they will be glossy. I'm just hoping that they don't feel really sticky.

[kaotikb]

I painted my keyboard.. I find that the keys  seem to attract dust now. But the only keys that feel sticky are the ones i painted red with a clear coat... not sure why.

[Binge]

Some paints do not cure completely if they are layered too thick-like.  This will differ with the same color from brand to brand.

[kaotikb]

Some paints do not cure completely if they are layered too thick-like.  This will differ with the same color from brand to brand.

Yeah also for the red i used car paint while for the rest it was krylon fusion paint for plastic. But the keys are still holding up pretty well.